Harte happy to lend his support

By Niall Gartland

PLAYER, chairman, manager – and now supporter. Mickey Harte was among the Errigal Ciaran contingent who ambled down to the Páirc Esler sod following their side’s victory over Clann Éireann in the Ulster Senior Championship semi-final. And understandably, they were in no major rush to head back to the car park.

Harte’s seen it all at this stage, but he was visibly delighted with the big win. His nephew Peter has been one of the stars of their run to a long-awaited Ulster SFC final appearance, and that sense of familial connection stretching back decades is something that runs in parallel with the story of Errigal Ciaran.

The Canavans, the McGinleys, the Hartes and more – familiar surnames adorn their very latest pursuit of provincial honours.

Mickey himself was chairman of the club when they won their first ever Ulster Senior Championship title in 1993. He was also part of the playing squad that overcame Downpatrick in the final, only three years after Errigal Ciaran was formed in its current guise.

They added a second Ulster Championship title to their collection in 2002 and this time Harte was manager. The date of their Ulster final win against Enniskillen Gaels was Sunday, December 1 2002 – a fortnight after Harte was appointed as manager of the Tyrone senior inter-county footballers, a move that preceded a historic period of success for the county.

And speaking ahead of Sunday’s date with destiny against Kilcoo, Harte expressed his hope and belief that their current run will reverberate with future generations in the club.

“We’re very fortunate that we’re the only club in Tyrone to have won Ulster – and there have been plenty of other very good teams who have gone into this competition and maybe just didn’t get the breaks.

“Reaching this year’s final is great for the youngsters, you could see them out on the pitch before the Clann Éireann game, and it’s brilliant for them to have the experience of seeing Errigal playing at this level.

“We have a lot of young players as well, Ruairi Canavan has been excellent and there’s other lads who are still very early in their careers.

“There’s nothing like following your club at this time of year, right up to Christmas time on the biggest stage in Ulster. It’s brilliant and please God we’ll have another good day out against Kilcoo.”

The net effect of their previous title triumphs in Ulster, according to Harte, is that Errigal have ‘no fear’ when they survive the bearpit of Tyrone Club Championship football. The legacy of their breakthrough year of 1993 lives on.

“I think our Ulster final win in 1993 was a really good thing to have happened in the club, it was only three or four years since we had started up again. It gave us a lot of confidence, that we were as good as what’s out there.

“There’s been a number of very good teams in this parish of ours and this will be our fifth Ulster final in total. We were in Ulster two years ago and I thought we were very unfortunate against Glen to be honest, we lost by a few points and a couple of the decisions didn’t go our way.”

Harte also praised the role of the Errigal Ciaran management team, who kept their eyes firmly fixed on the road ahead even after their recent championship win over holders Trillick.

“The county championship is such a big deal for Errigal, and once they get out of Tyrone, they seem to relax a bit and express themselves a bit more.

“It’s been a difficult campaign in terms of the quality of opposition. The St Eunan’s game went right down to the wire, we got the run against Cargin and then we had another really tough contest against Clann Éireann. I think it’s a great credit to Enda (McGinley) and all the backroom team that they’ve got them so well prepared – they always seem to be up for the battle and that’s very important if you’re to win anything.”

Harte, who was in attendance with family on Errigal’s last day out, also says that their memorable journey is a welcome distraction for people in the lead up to Christmas.

“It’s great to be part of as a community, everyone’s really enjoying it. When you’re actually playing at this level, sometimes you don’t fully appreciate how much it means to everybody, but it’s definitely had a very positive effect on the club.

“There’s a real feel-good factor, it’s lifted people’s spirits coming into Christmas, it lifts the spirits of people who have troubles in their life at this time, or who have had troubles in the past. It gives them something to lift their heart, and it reminds us the GAA is a wonderful organisation to belong to.”

Watch our special preview show ahead of Sunday’s Ulster final showdown